


In The Shadows

by derwentian



Category: Pyre (Video Game)
Genre: Disabled Scholar Reader, Fluff, Gen, Slice of Life, nonbinary reader
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-11
Updated: 2017-08-11
Packaged: 2018-12-14 06:16:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11777196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/derwentian/pseuds/derwentian
Summary: Jomuer Valley is disgustingly hot. As if the howlers, lack of resources, and inhospitable terrain weren’t bad enough, the Downside had to add heat to the mix.





	In The Shadows

Jomuer Valley is disgustingly hot. As if the howlers, lack of resources, and inhospitable terrain weren’t bad enough, the Downside had to add _heat_ to the mix. Although it wouldn’t be a very worthwhile place to be exiled otherwise, the Reader supposes. Still. The Scribes didn’t die for this. Or did they? It’s so hard to make sense of the old tales, considering _none of them are written down_. 

It’s so hot out that it’s even bothering the other exiles, who are all coping in their own ways. Hedwyn’s taken his shirt off and wrapped it around his head (how exactly that helps is a mystery to the Reader—surely the sun on his skin would make it worse?) and Rukey is _panting_. Jodariel doesn’t seem particularly bothered (as usual), but the way she keeps fanning her face is enough of a giveaway. Kae’s solution is to sit in the exiles’ shadows, rotating between them whenever the proximity makes the air too stifling. As for the Reader, they’ve shed their cloak (good riddance) and rolled their pants up to their knees, feet up on a stool while they lounge on the wagon floor. Heat rises, somebody once told them, so getting low to the ground is the wisest course of action. Besides, being on the floor is oddly comfortable.

They’ve almost dozed off when bare footsteps nearby indicate Kae’s arrival. Must’ve gotten too stuffy over by Hedwyn. The Reader cracks an eye open to watch her circle them, looking for a shady spot to sit in. It’s a difficult task, seeing as they’re lying on the ground, but she eventually settles for the shadow created by the stool their feet are resting on. Once she’s settled into a cross-legged position, she seemingly notices that the Reader’s shadow is connected to a living being for the first time. She grins at them in greeting. “Hi, Reader. Can I sit here?” The fact that she’s only asking after having already taken a seat isn’t surprising, at this point. 

“Go ahead. Sorry I’m not making you a very large shadow to sit in.” The floor is cool, and if they had to stand right now they might collapse. So exile them. 

Kae shrugs. “It’s fine, I don’t mind, I’m not very large anyways. Miss Jodariel has a bigger shadow, but I think I talk more than she likes sometimes, and it always gets hot when I sit by people anyways, so I have to keep moving. Why is that, Reader? Why does sitting by people make it hotter? Do you know?” Not really, but they can take a stab at it. They have a vague notion, at least. 

“Well, the way I understand it, all living things give off heat. So when two people stay close to each other, maybe their combined heat makes the air hotter.” It’s a decent guess, they think. 

Kae nods. “Oh! I understand. That’s why it gets hotter over by miss Jodariel than it does by anyone else? Because she’s bigger, and warmer?” 

Sounds about right. “That would explain it. Jord _is_ pretty hot.” Har har. ...Hopefully she didn’t hear that. Oh, Scribes.

Kae doesn’t have anything to say to that, so she just gazes around the wagon and hums for a while. The tune doesn’t seem to have any logic to it, just various lilting notes. It’s oddly soothing, and the Reader closes their eyes once more. They could easily doze off like this, but Kae interrupts their reverie by poking their flesh leg. “Hey, Reader? Can I… um… what’s the word, I forgot it again? For this one?” She gently taps their copper prosthetic leg, resisting the urge to drag her hands along the filigree detailing. 

“Prosthetic.” 

Kae mulls it over for a second, mouthing the word to herself. “Pros-thet-ic. There’s a T in there, I think? Oh, but, I forgot what I was going to say. Can I feel your prosthetic leg? I like the bits that stick out.” Kae really likes their prosthetic leg’s texture, the Reader’s noticed; they’re surprised she waited this long to ask. 

“Go ahead.” As long as she’s careful with it they don’t mind, and Kae is shockingly gentle for a kid that clung to the underside of the Blackwagon for who knows how long. She traces the designs on the Reader’s leg with something almost like reverence, picking up her seemingly random tune again. This is nice. It’s still hot out, and their flesh leg is falling asleep propped up like this, and if they lie on the floor for much longer it’ll make their back sore, but this is nice. Maybe being exiled isn’t _so_ bad.

After an amount of time the Reader can’t parse, Kae stops humming and stands up, dusting off her clothes. “Well, Reader, it was nice to sit with you, but now it’s getting hot over here too, so I’m going to go sit with Rukey for a while.” And just like that, she’s gone, taking the pleasant moment with her. Now they’re just hot with a numb leg and a sore back. Being exiled is kind of awful, still. Maybe they’ll just… take a nap. It’s not a particularly _wise_ plan, admittedly. They know that they’ll just wake up dehydrated with a headache, but at least being asleep will make the day go by faster. They close their eyes again, intent on not waking up until nightfall.

**Author's Note:**

> My AC died a few days ago, so I decided to use it as inspiration. Comments and feedback are appreciated.


End file.
